My Ex Lives Downstairs!
by annavale23
Summary: Before the fall of SHIELD, Skye dated Grant without suspecting who really held his loyalty. After the truth came out, she swore to a new life: a life without the presence of Grant Ward. Unfortunately, that new resolution is broken rather quickly when she sees for her own eyes for the first time just how broken Grant is. (Season Two AU that works to redeem Grant) Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: My Ex Lives Downstairs

**Hey, guys! This is my new fan fiction. It doesn't follow any of my old ones, so here's the background:**

**Skye dated Grant for 6 months before HYDRA emerged and S.H.I.E.L.D was dismantled as a corrupt institution. Coulson had Grant locked downstairs in a cell so he can get inside information on HYDRA, but Grant will only talk with Skye. So Skye has to face her ex for Coulson. **

**Enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you think by reviewing! x**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE: MY EX LIVES DOWNSTAIRS<strong>

**_Skye_**

"And how do you think I feel?" I say to Hunter, Mack and Triplett. "My ex boyfriend is locked up in the basement downstairs!"

"Oh, if my ex wife lived downstairs..." Hunter grins as he gulps down his beer. We all groan in unison.

"You and that ex wife..." Mack says. "The amount of times you mention her, one might think that you still love her."

"Not a chance." Hunter chuckles. "She's a she devil. But anyway, must be awkward having to talk to that Ward guy since you and him were an item and all."

"Yeah. And guess what? Coulson's asked me to go and talk to him again." I finish off my drink and get up.

"Good luck." Triplett says, his dark eyes meeting mine. I smile back and walk towards Vault D: Grant's cell.

Grant and I dated for 6 and half months before the secret came out that he was HYDRA. Before S.H.I.E.L.D was destroyed, and before we had to rebuild ourselves. Before I realised that the man I loved was really the enemy.

The door swings open easily and I descend onto the dark coldness, holding the pad that controls the cell wall screen. I stand in front of it for a second before removing the opaque wall so I can see Grant Ward, the man I once thought that I was in love with.

He sits on the floor, but stands up when he sees me, smiling slightly. I shudder inside and fix a neutral expression on my face.

"Hello again, Skye." He says in a soft voice. "I trust you are well?"

"Shut up." I snap back.

"Oh, but then what would be the point of you being here?" Grant points out. "Because then I couldn't tell you any information, could I? So what do you want to know today?" All through his speaking, his voice remains in the same tone.

I try and control the emotions rising up on me, just like May taught me. But I'm not a total May-bot like her yet, so some of my anger displays itself in my clenched fists and tight jaw.

"Tell me why you worked for HYDRA." I ask, remembering that this time, Coulson wants to know Grant's past intentions, not information on HYDRA.

Grant shrugs.

"He offered me a way out. I took it. Really, Skye, it's nothing but that. There's no big reason why I chose to join HYDRA. I was loyal to Garrett, and that's what he wanted."

I look at Grant and wonder how I could of ever thought myself in love with him. I should have known that he was a psychopath. I mean, I dated the man! I shared my secrets with him, and he didn't tell me his. I trusted him, and that's how we ended up like this.

_Hunter's lucky he doesn't see his she devil ex wife,_ I think darkly._ 'Cause I wish I didn't have to see Grant._

"Skye, I know you want me to say that I didn't choose HYDRA, but I can't." Grant says gently. "Trust me, I wanted to tell you, but-"

"But you didn't, Grant. You didn't." I say angrily. "We dated for 6 months, and you didn't tell me!"

"Because I knew you wouldn't understand." He says, his voice never changing in pitch.

"What's there to understand, Grant? You are evil. You tried to kill Fitz and Simmons!" I shake my head. Then, in a quieter voice, I say:

"I would have understood if you had told me."

Grant gazes at me with expressionless eyes.

"Would you of, Skye? Because I don't think so."

I hit the button that turns the cell wall dark, breathing hard. And then I walk away, back up to my new team.

When I'm outside, I lean against the wall and close my eyes, feeling my heart beat fast in my chest. May wants me to move on, but I don't know if I can, if I have to keep talking to him. It reminds me that I once loved the man. And how can he remain so calm around me? Did he ever really love me? Was it all a lie? Somehow, I can't believe it. The Grant Ward I saw was the closest to the true Ward anyone had ever seen.

"But he's HYDRA, Skye." I whisper. "HYDRA."

"Looks like he got to you." Triplett says when I rejoin the guys. I force my lips to smile and grab a fresh drink.

"Nah, I'm fine." I lie perfectly, gulping down the drink.

"Skye-" He starts, but cuts himself off with a 'never mind'.

May walks in, her face impassive.

"Team," she starts. "We have a mission. Straight from the director."


	2. Chapter 2: Driving With May

**Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it as much as the first one!**

**Thanks for all the follows! Enjoy! x**

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><p><strong><span>CHAPTER TWO: MISSION<span>**

_**May**_

"We have a mission. Straight from the director." I say, my face impassive, just as it should be. The team don't need to know the thoughts swirling inside me out of control. Coulson is not himself anymore, and only I can help him. So only I need to feel these emotions. I don't need to burden them.

"Well, what is it?" Hunter asks impatiently. "Out with it, May!"

I frown at Hunter. Although I count myself even with the guy after I shot him because he shot me, that accent of his isn't half annoying.

"Coulson wants us to get an item from an old S.H.I.E.L.D safe house. He wants me, Hunter and Triplett running point. Skye, you and Mack hold up here. Okay?"

Skye gives me a look that I immediately know is because she's not coming with us. But Skye is more valuable to us working back here as our coordinator.

We all start moving, but I catch Skye's elbow, pulling her to one side.

"Skye, I want you to be where your skills would

help us. Not that I don't trust you though."

Skye nods shortly.

"I understand, May."

I flash her a smile. In these last few months, she's gone through a lot, especially with Ward. As her new SO, I want to make sure she's ready for what I sense is a hard future ahead.

I equip myself up quickly, running through the details Coulson told me. The safe house is located in Texas, and we'll have to fly there. I walk to the cockpit and start the plane. In the safe house is a file. A file on HYDRA. Although I'm not too sure that the file will help us that much. But I'm not going to disagree with Coulson.

We take off and it doesn't take long until we touch down. I leave Skye and Mack on the bus and drive with Hunter and Triplett.

"Why do you get to drive?" Hunter complains. I tighten my grip on the wheel in an outwards display of my anger. "I'm a much better driver!"

"May drives because May's May." Triplett says, leaning against the door in the back seat of the SUV while Hunter lounges in the front. "And I wouldn't complain. Right, Skye?" He says, addressing Skye through the earpiece.

"Right." I hear Skye's voice in my ear. "Don't mess with May. She's scary."

"Skye, how far are we from the safe house?" I ask, laughing to myself at her comment.

"Not far. Keep driving south, and you should hit it soon." Skye responds. I glance out of the window and despair at the rolling hills. I hate Texas: it's dry and dusty. But its the perfect place to hide a safe house, because who is going to drive way out into the desert and ransack a deserted house? Especially since the house looks like it could collapse at any minute, thanks to our hologram projectors. In reality, its a sturdy, comfortable house.

"Still, I think that I should drive." Hunter starts up again. "What if we come under attack? May is a better shot than me. So wouldn't it be wiser for her not to be at the wheel?"

"Shut it, Hunter." I say, pulling the car over near a house. "And it doesn't matter who is driving, because we're here already."

I get out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me. I pull my sunglasses down onto my face, shielding my eyes from the harsh sun. Hunter and Triplett follow.

"Looks a bit run down." Hunter comments, gazing at the two storey shack in front of us. The windows are boarded up and it looks like it will collapse at any moment.

"That's just an illusion." I say, walking straight to the door. Inside, the house looks like any you would find in a surburbian town. Hunter and Triplett look around in appreciation.

"S.H.I.E.L.D goes all in with safe houses." Hunter says, trailing a hand over the smooth walls.

"Quiet." I order. "We have a mission, remember?"

"Sure." Hunter grumbles.

I split us up, sending Hunter and Triplett on the other floor while I take the top. I take out my gun as I step up the stairs.

"Skye?" I ask. "Have you gotten into the systems yet?"

"Yep." Skye replies. "I'm looking at the map of the house right now."

"Where is the file?" I keep moving up the stairs until I hit the landing. It's eerily quiet. I don't like it.

"In a safe on the top floor. May, be careful." Skye adds, her voice tinged with concern.

"Telling me to be careful is like telling you not to let Ward get to you."

"Okay." I hear her laughter in her tone. "Through the next door."

I glance at a door and gently nudge it open with my toe of my boot. I point my gun around the room and find it empty of life. I relax my pose slightly and see its a study.

"Behind the painting." Skye says in my ear. I touch my ear piece and talk to the guys downstairs.

"I've found the file. See you at the door." I say before I cross the room, sliding my gun away and take the painting off the wall. I note it's a print of Van Gogh's sunflower picture. I prop it up against the wall and look at the safe. I take out a small rectangular object that reads the safe's code, and unlocks it for me. I open up the door and see a thin brown file there. I take it out and turn around to walk away.

And that's when something hits me straight on the back of my head, flooring me instantly.


	3. Chapter 3: Agents: New, Old and Enemies

**Here's the next chapter****. It's more of a filler chapter, so more excitement will be coming in the next chapter!**

**I'll be updating hopefully every 4 or 5 days.**

**Thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews so far.**

**Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

_**(Note: Grant and Skye have now been dating for 8 months instead of 6!)**_

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><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

I hit the floor face first, the file lying crumpled underneath me, dazed. Who would of hit me over the head? I'm about to find out.

I'm rolled over onto my back by my assailant, obviously so they can get at the file. I kick out, landing a foot in their face. They recoil backwards and I scoot away, climbing to my feet, pushing the file behind me. Then I bring my fists up to my face and see my attacker.

It's a woman, with bright ginger hair, dressed all in black. But the most important detail is the HYDRA logo on her breast pocket.

"HYDRA. I should have guessed." I say. The woman in front of me remains silent.

But before either of us can react, Hunter and Triplett skid into the room, guns raised. The woman looks at us all, knowing she's outmatched. I see panic in her eyes and my lips curve into a half smile. I like it when they know that there's no way out.

"Hey." Hunter says to her. "You gonna come the easy way or the hard way?"

She growls and charges forward, planning on taking out Hunter I assume. I intercept her and deliver a quick blow to her solar plexus, winding her. Then I smash her head into the floor and turn to look at the guys.

"The hard way, I presume."

I turn around and kneel down next to the unconscious woman. Triplett hands me some handcuffs and I restrain her before getting out my 'night-night' gun and shooting her 3 times in the chest, just to make sure she's well and truly out. It won't be fun if she decides to wake up in the middle of our drive to the plane. Then I retrieve the crumpled file and start to walk out the room, leaving it to the guys to take our new friend home.

At least we're not going home empty handed, I think to myself. And this woman will be more useful than a file, surely.

"May, you okay?" Skye chirps in my ear. "Your comms went fuzzy there for a moment."

"We're coming home." I respond. "And tell someone to prepare a cell: we're bringing a little surprise with us..."

"A surprise?" Skye asks warily. "What kind of surprise? May, what have you done now?"

"Nothing...much." I tell her.

Hunter and Triplett bundle her up into the boot and climb into the car. And then we drive home.

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><p><strong><em>Skye<em>**

Back at the base, we secure little miss ginger in a cell and leave her there to wake up and sweat a little. Then we'll start the interrogation. And I'm betting May's going to enjoy doing it.

I make my excuses and retire to my bedroom, where I take out my laptop. I load up the images that Coulson asked me to look at, the alien signs that Garrett died drawing. And all I get is a migraine. How am I meant to solve this puzzle?

And why don't I draw these patterns?

My mind flashes back to the conversation between Coulson and I, when he told me that I could be an alien.

An alien. Me, Skye, an alien? It's laughable. I can't be an alien, because I remember growing up, doing human things. So I can't be an alien. I'm sure of it.

I'm interrupted by a knock at my door. I shut my laptop and get up to answer it. I pull it open to see Jemma Simmons waiting there, a nervous smile on her face.

"Jemma!" I exclaim, pulling her into a hug. Simmons hugs me back enthusiastically.

"Hey, Skye." She says, stepping out of the hug. "I'm back!"

"How was HYDRA?" I grin, letting her walk in, shutting the door behind her.

"Very...stressful." Simmons smiles. "But Bobbi saved me. She's awesome, you know."

"Bobbi?" I ask, confused.

"Bobbi Morse. An ex S.H.I.E.L.D agent. And that Hunter guy's ex wife." Simmons blurts out quickly. I raise an eyebrow. The she devil herself? How interesting. I bet Hunter's loving it. "But anyway, I missed you! How is everyone?"

Quickly, I tell her about everything that's gone on. As we talk, I remember how much I've missed Jemma.

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><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

I sit down, resting my arms on the chair's arms, gazing slowly at the man in front of me. The man who betrayed us for HYDRA. Grant Ward.

"May." He says in a soft voice. I feel my face hardening into a scowl. "How nice to see you."

"Don't give me that crap, Ward." I snap. "I'm not here to socialise."

"So why are you here?" Ward raises an eyebrow. "Because I'm only going to give information to Skye."

"You do know that you can't win her back." I state in a quite voice, crossing my arms across my chest. "You broke her heart, Ward."

"I didn't want to." Ward says, sitting down on his bed. "Believe me, May, I wanted to tell her. I loved her. I still love her."

"You don't love her, Ward." I tell him in a manner of fact voice. "Otherwise, you would let her go live her life and tell her never to to come down here again."

"I can't do that." He replies simply.

"Then we have a problem." I stand up, holding the tablet controller in my hand. "One day, after we've finished with you, I _will_ shoot you dead. Got that?"

"Got it." Ward murmurs before I blank out the wall and walk away.


	4. Chapter 4: Tomato Deaths and Bobbi Morse

**The next chapter is here! There is a flashback scene here, so enjoy! And don't forget to review!**

**Also, I'm thinking about posting a teen skyeward fan fiction soon, where Coulson gets to Grant before Garrett, and Coulson's hacker niece is very much interested in this new kid...I'll put a note here when I post it, so check it out if you want to!**

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><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

"Hi, I'm Bobbi." The tall agent introduces herself, holding out her hand. I shake it, smiling.

"I'm Skye."

"Skye, say you don't like her." Hunter pleads. "Don't turn to the dark side like everyone else."

"Sorry, Hunter." I shrug. "I can't seem to fault her."

Bobbi laughs as Hunter growls. May walks into the room.

"Hey, where have you been?" I ask her softly. May stares at me for a moment.

"Nowhere." She replies. "Now, to the matter at hand: that HYDRA agent we have in the cell isn't talking, so I'm going to need Agent Morse here to help me."

"Call me Bobbi." She says. "And I'll be happy to help."

May and Bobbi walk off, discussing their plan. I sit down at the table and think back to the days when I didn't know Grant was HYDRA. Like that one time where May and Coulson had gone out on a private mission, and Fitz and Simmons were down in the lab, leaving me and Grant alone...

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><p><em><strong>4 months, 1 week ago.<strong>_

_**Skye**_

"Skye, you're doing that all wrong." Grant says, leaning over and taking the knife out of my hand. I look down at the mostly squashed tomato on the chopping board in front of me.

"Time of death, 1900 hours." I say solemnly. Grant laughs.

"See, you were cutting it wrong." He says gently, getting out a new tomato and edging me out of the way. I watch as Grant expertly dices up the tomato, scooping it into a bowl. Grant and I are all alone, so I suggested a romantic dinner. Of course, there was nothing in the fridge, so we had to improvise.

"How are you so good at this?" I complain, getting a glass of water and taking a sip. "Surely they didn't teach you this at the S.H.I.E.L.D academy."

"You'd be surprised what they teach you, Skye, but no, this I taught myself." He tells me as we make our dinner for the night: vegetable stir fry.

"My parents were...busy most of the time," Grant grimaces at the word parents. "So I had to feed myself. So I taught myself to cook. Also, I lived in the woods for 5 years or so." He adds. I look at him, intrigued. Grant's eyes have an edge to them, like he wasn't meant to tell me that. But he quickly smooths it over. "But anyway, the food's done." I make a note to ask about these woods later.

We sit down to eat, Grant pulling my chair out for me and pouring me some wine, like a gentleman. He then dims the lights in the room, lighting some candles to set the mood before sitting down himself.

"What's the worst mission you've ever taken part in?" I ask him as I eat the stir fry - which is pretty good. Grant leans back in his chair, considering his answer.

"There was this one, where I had to save this Agent, but I had to infiltrate through a whole Russian mob first."

"Why was that bad?" I sip at the wine.

"I nearly got married to one of the mobster's daughters: and she was not that...desirable." Grant says. "But anyway, let's not talk about missions."

"Okay. What should we talk about?" I say quietly, the candlelight playing softly over my skin.

"How about how beautiful you look tonight?" Grant copies my soft, quiet tone. I blush slightly at the compliment.

"You're sweet." I tell him. He grins mischievously.

"You're sweeter."

"Grant?" I say suddenly. My heart beats fast inside my chest, so loud I think that he has to be able to hear it. "I love you."

Grant pauses for a second, his eyes staring into mine.

"I love you too, Skye." He says. My heart slows in relief; this was the first time we had said the 'L' word. I start to smile and think that maybe I hadn't made the same mistake I always make with guys: I always fall for the wrong ones, the ones I want to save but they don't want to be saved. So maybe I can save Grant, save him from closing himself off to me. Maybe I've chosen the right guy this time.

Later, we wash the dishes, with me washing them in the sink and him drying them. I glance up at him from under my lashes and think back to when I thought that Grant was a stuck up idiot. When I hated him. I mean, his name was Grant. What kind of parent calls their child that name? I'd never heard of anyone called it before. Grant senses me looking at him and looks down at me, smiling. I smile back, almost shyly. He puts down the dish and cloth he was using to dry it and pulls me close to him, his hands on my waist. Grant leans down and kisses me, softly at first, but then it turns more passionate. Not caring that my hands are soapy, I wrap my arms around his neck. Just as we're really deepening it, there's a cough. We break apart to see Coulson, with an eyebrow raised. I flush bright red. Even Grant seems a little embarrassed of being caught.

"We're home." Is all Coulson says before he walks to his office, a small smirk on his lips. I look at Grant and we burst out laughing. We continue laughing until my side cramps up and I can barely breathe, my eyes fixed on Grant's, and I realise just how much I love this man.

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><p><strong><em>Present Day.<em>**

**_May_**

I lead Bobbi towards Ginger's cell, explaining my plan.

"I'm going to chuck you in there with her." I say. "You act like a fellow HYDRA agent, try and get her to open up to you. Then I'll come in, and hopefully she'll tell us something."

"Understood." Bobbi nods. "What if she doesn't believe me?"

I stop suddenly, with my hand on the door to Ginger's cell.

"Then I give you permission to _make_ her believe you, Agent Morse. I'm sure you're quite capable of making that happen."

Bobbi smiles.

"Of course, Agent May. I'll do as you wish."

And then I send her in to the HYDRA woman's cell.


	5. Chapter 5: Christian Ward

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks for all the follows, and favourites! **

**(I am taking drabble/prompt ideas for my drabble series 'saving', which is all about when the team save each other. If you've got any ideas, PM me or drop me a review!)**

**Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

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><p><span><strong>CHAPTER FIVE: CHRISTIAN WARD<strong>

_**May**_

I take up position by the computers, and watch the action taking place via the camera in the ginger woman's cell.

Bobbi gets up from the floor, brushing herself down. The ginger woman stares at her, her eyes narrowed: she's on the defensive.

"Who are you?" Bobbi asks with a sneer.

"Who are you, more like." The woman retorts. "I'm HYDRA."

Bobbi arches an eyebrow.

"Same here. The S.H.I.E.L.D pigs get you too?" Bobbi tries to get the woman to trust her, but she's too clever to fall for it.

"How do I know you're HYDRA?"

"Because why would I lie?" Bobbi shoots right back. "I have no reason to!"

I sigh, sitting back in my chair. I have feeling that this is going to be a long night.

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><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

I watch Grant on the security cameras in his cell. Most of the time, he's motionless, staring at the floor, and others he's pacing, mouthing things. And other times, he trains. I try to quell the sickness I feel at seeing him. Ward makes me sick. Yet I have to see him for the information. Otherwise, we'll be stumped.

But it doesn't stop me hating his guts, does it?

"Skye." Coulson's voice snaps me put of my thoughts. I look up to see him standing over me.

"What's up, AC?" 'Cause even if Coulson's the director now, he'll always be AC to me.

"Ward." He sits down heavily.

"Which one?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Because not only do we have Ward in the basement, we also have Senator Ward on our backs.

"Basement." Coulson asks. "Skye, I want you to get some intel from him."

"Now, sir?" I glance at my computer screen where Ward's just sitting on his bed, stroking this thumb bone.

"Now." Coulson confirms.

I walk down the stairs into Vault D, Ward's cell. He looks up and sees me, smiling slightly.

"Nice hair." He comments on my straightened hair. I sit down in the seat and watch him for a moment. "So. What do you want today?"

"Intel. On your brother." I say, watching for his reaction.

"Which one?" Ward says, his lips quirking up slightly. "Because I didn't really keep in contact with any of them."

"Your older one."

"Christian." Ward says with no emotion. "What do you want on him?"

"What kind of person is he?" I lean forward.

"He's..." Ward takes a deep breath. "He's a liar. An expert manipulator. He can convince anyone of anything. It's how he got most of the blame for his actions shifted on to me."

"Go on."

"He's a senator. That's all I know about what he does now. Garrett told me not to get obsessed with my past, so I didn't research him more." Ward shrugs. "What else do you want?"

I remain quiet, seeing how much he'll spill to me. Ward sighs.

"He likes to hurt people." Ward says. "So don't go near him." I see a frantic emotion in his eyes. "He'll hurt you without a second of doubt, Skye."

"So he's like you?" I shoot at him. The look in Ward's eyes is dark and fearful, emotions I haven't seen before. They make me stop and think.

"Much, _much_ worse than me." Ward says darkly. "I killed people for a job. Yes, I might of killed the wrong people, but Christian..." Ward shakes his head. "He'd kill just for fun. But not before he's made you wish for something much greater than death, Skye."

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><p><span><em><strong>5 months ago.<strong>_

"Tell me about your brothers." I ask him suddenly. Grant looks at me. We're cramped up in his bunk, curled up next to each other. Thanks to the whole team bing on the bus, this is all we can get away with at the moment.

"Why?" Grant's eyes are guarded.

"I want to know about them." I explain. "I never had a family: is it too much to ask about my boyfriend's family?"

"Yes." Grant says darkly, getting up and moving away from me. I sit up and look at him. Grant stands near the wall, his face in half profile so I can only see one eye. "Especially when you know about the well."

The well. When his older brother forced Grant to hurt his younger brother.

"Why didn't your parents see what was going on?" I ask. Grant lets out a derisive snort.

"Those bastards were more concerned with their social appearance than what their son was doing." He answers, running a hand through his hair. "They were only there half of the time, Skye!"

I stand up and walk over to him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Grant, honey-" I start, but he keeps talking.

"Skye, we had appearances to keep up. My whole life was a lie, I wasn't allowed to interact with anyone my own age..." Grant sighs. "I had to protect my younger brother, but I ended up hurting him even more." He turns around, and I see the haunted look in his eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him.

"Sorry for bringing it up." I whisper.

* * *

><p>"Why did we need to know about Christian Ward, sir?" I ask as we watch our ginger HYDRA agent be given to Talbot: it turned out she was no use.<p>

"Because he's offered me a deal." Coulson says, his eyes not moving from the screen in front of him. "In return for seeing his brother, he will help spread the message of our goodness."

"Seeing Ward, sir?" I clarify. Coulson nods.

"He wants 15 minutes alone with Ward, Skye. No cameras, no guards. Completely alone. And then he'll help us rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D." He says grimly.

And all I can think about us the fear in Ward's eyes when he talked about his brother.


	6. Chapter 6: Confessions and Decisions

**Hey, here's the next chapter!**

**Enjoy, and don't forget to review! x**

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><p><span><strong>CHAPTER SIX: BAD DECISIONS AND WORSE CONFESSIONS<strong>

**_May_**

"Do you think this is wise?" I ask Coulson, one of my oldest friends in the world. And one of the people I'm starting to doubt. One of the people I'm worried about. But also one of the people I would die for, no questions asked.

"What? Letting Christian see Ward?" Coulson snaps. I blink, shocked by his shortness. He softens as he sees my surprise. "Sorry. But we'll monitor it. I know he said no cameras, but we have to watch. Just in case."

He tries to kill Ward. I add silently. Coulson still cares about Ward, I know. He's like that, not wanting to admit that he wants, so desperately, for this all to be a big joke.

"If that's what you think is best." I say quietly, not bothering to voice my concerns. They'd just be shot down, like always. "But how are we going to tell Ward? He's not going to like it. And last time he didn't like something, he tried to kill himself." I point out.

"That's why I want you to tell him, May." Coulson says. My head snaps up.

"Why me?" I question coolly. "Why not Skye?"

"Because I want you to tell me if that lying s.o.b is scared." Coulson answers quietly. "I want you to tell me if Grant Ward, the fearless specialist, is frightened by his brother."

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><p>"Hello again, May." Ward greets me as I walk into his cell. "Come to shoot me?" He's sitting on his bed, his hands in his lap.<p>

"You're going to have a visitor in a few days." I say frankly. "When we've decided on a meeting place."

"Who?" Ward asks, glancing around his cell, seemingly bored.

"The name Christian Ward mean anything to you?" I lean back in the chair, ready to see the fear I don't believe I'll spot.

How wrong I am.

Ward stares at me, his eyes wide with fear. His breathing increases until he's almost hyperventilating. He looks down and focuses on bringing his breathing back to normal after a second, but not before I see what Coulson asked me to spot.

Pure, unadulterated fear.

"Could you please explain?" He asks in a clipped voice.

"Senator Ward has asked to see you. 15 minutes alone. Then he'll help us." I shrug. Ward gazes at his wrists, his breathing shaky.

"Not a good idea." Ward whispers. I crane my ears to hear, he's that quiet. "Christian is not a nice guy, May. He likes to hurt people. Especially his family. Especially the guy who tried to kill him." The last part is almost inaudible.

"What did you say?" I demand.

"Nothing." Ward looks at me with dark, shadowed eyes. "Nothing at all."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Skye<em>**

"_Skye, I have to tell you something. But I can't, not right now. So if I ever do anything...stupid, ask me to tell you."_ I awake from my dream in a cold sweat. _"Ask me to tell you about the woods."_

1 month before we found out just who Ward was, he'd said that to me. I asked him to explain, but he wouldn't. I suppose this is his 'something stupid'.

We have a week before Christian sees Ward. A week before we can start to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. And I'm awake, puzzling over something he probably lied about.

But nevertheless, I have to know. So I go to his old bunk on the bus to find out.

No one has cleaned it out, not wanting to touch the traitor's belongings. I pick up his leather jacket, his most prized possession. I bring it up to my nose and sniff it: it still smells strongly of him. I chuck it back down with a shudder.

I glance around the room. So many good things happened in this room. Or so many lies, I should say. The Grant Ward I knew was a lie. A fake.

I don't know what I'm looking for, but I have a feeling I'll find some answers in his room. So I search around and before long pull out a USB stick. I stare at it. Maybe it has HYDRA secrets on it!

I hightail it back to my room and plug it into my laptop. Opening up the folder, I see only one file. A video clip. Curiously, I open it (after putting in my headphones) and it starts to play.

On screen appears a guy's face, about 21 or 22. I realise that it's Ward. He sits down in front of the camera and stares into it for a full minute. I'm about to close it when he starts to talk.

"My name is Grant Ward." He starts. "I'm 21, and in the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. My SO is John Garrett."

I watch, wondering where this is going. The Ward on screen sighs, linking his fingers together.

"In my file it says that I spent 5 years in military school before I got here. That is a lie."

I stare at him, shocked.

"For the last 5 years of my life, I've been living in the woods. For the 15 years before that, I lived in Massachusetts."

And then the Grant Ward on screen proceeds to tell me the most heartbreaking story ever.

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>Massachusetts. 18 years ago<em>**.

_"Come on, Toby!" Grant Ward yells over his shoulder. He's 12, tall and quite strong for his age. His younger brother Toby is 10, and a weedy boy. He is also covered in bruises, scrapes and cuts._

_Ahead of them walks Christian Ward. He whistles, ignoring his brothers. Christian looks down at his hands, seeing the bruised knuckles and reminds himself to clean them up later. Grant looks down at his equally bruised knuckles and touches the bruise he's getting on his cheekbone, and glances at his recently relocated shoulder._

_"I'm sorry, Grant." Toby mumbles as he catches up with his older brother._

_"Don't apologise." Grant snaps, unable to even look his brother in the face. His bruised face. The bruises he caused. Grant's own injuries are because he hesitated to beat up Toby. So Christian gave him a little encouragement._

_The boys parents were out of town at a social meet, leaving them practically all alone. So Toby would have enough time for the bruises to fade slightly before they came home._

_"I'm sorry." Toby repeats. "It's my fault."_

_Grant helps Toby walk as his ankle's busted. Toby winces in pain but doesn't cry out._

_Grant stares at his older brother's back, feeling incredible anger to him. All Grant wants to do is punch the mother fucker in the face. Punch him until he's no longer breathing._

_But he can't. Because as soon as Christian turns those cold eyes on him, Grant will falter, and Christian will hit him twice as hard. And Grant's scared of getting hit again, so when Christian turns around and tells Grant to stop helping Toby, he drops his eyes and walks away from Toby, who clearly needs Grant's help to walk._

_And Grant feels like the piece of cowardly shit he is._

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>Present day.<em>**

I shut the laptop with an audible clang and shove it far away from me before burying my head into my pillow. I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to forget about what I just heard. Because what I heard reminds me that the monster I used to love is just a broken human being. And I can't deal with the thought that Grant Ward is just a hurting child inside.


	7. Chapter 7: Ward vs Ward

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* * *

><p><span><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN: WARD VS WARD<strong>

_**Skye**_

On the day we meet with Christian I walk down to Ward's cell with a change of clothes and a razor.

He stares at the floor, not even acknowledging my (or the armed guards I have with me) presence. I tell him to shave and he does. I tell him to get dressed (turning around, of course) and he does it. He's like an actual robot, doing exactly what I say. It's disconcerting. Where is the arrogant man I saw a few weeks ago? And who is this frightened one left in his place?

"Ward." I say, beckoning him towards me. "It's time."

Ward's eyes look haunted and fearful, and I notice he's trembling like a baby deer.

"Please, Skye." He whispers. "Don't send me back there."

"It's 15 minutes, Ward. What can he do in 15 minutes?" I sigh. Ward gives me a look that is so full of dark memories, it sends shivers down my spine.

"You wouldn't want to know."

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

We meet Senator Christian Ward in a safe house. The prisoner, Ward, is handcuffed to a chair in the next room. Christian smiles politely, but to me it looks forced. Christian Ward is a tall man, chunkier than his brother Grant, but no less imposing. He has a dangerous look in his eyes that I have seen in my own eyes. Once again, I question Coulson's motives.

"15 minutes alone with him. Then I'll help you." Christian confirms. I nod. Coulson nods also.

"What are you going to do to him?" I ask quietly.

"Talk to Grant." Christian smiles, and it's the smile of the devil. "That's all."

* * *

><p>Skye, Simmons and I spy on the Ward brothers through a carefully carved hole in the wall.<p>

Grant is handcuffed to a steel chair, which is bolted to the floor. Christian stands opposite him. Ward holds his hands in his lap, pushing down on his thumb absentmindedly.

Christian takes off his suit jacket and chucks it to aside. He takes a long case and places it by the jacket.

"Hello, Grant." He says in a soft voice that sends chills even through me, the Calvary. "I hear you've been gelling lies about me."

Grant raises his eyes to Christian's. I see that they are full to the brim of anger.

"I never lied, Christian!" He yells. "You're the liar. You've always been the liar-"

Suddenly, Christian lashes out and punches Grant straight in the stomach. Grant groans as the air rushes out of him. He hunches over, gasping for breath. Christian blows on his knuckles.

Next to me, Skye and Simmons gasp in shock. I shoot them a look that tells them to shut up.

"What were you saying, Grant?" Christian asks coolly.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Christian." Grant gasps out. My eyes widen at Grant's easy submission. He is a HYDRA super solider, for god's sake! Who is this pathetic child in his place?

"Now, they tell me that after you burnt down our family home - with me in it, might I add - you escaped juvie. And now you're HYDRA. How messed up can you really be?" Christian hisses, prowling around Grant, resting his hands in the back of his neck. Grant flinches.

"I wasn't HYDRA." He mumbles, almost inaudible.

"I'm sorry?" Christian asks, his fingers tightening around Grant's throat, but not too tight as to restrict his breathing yet.

"I wasn't HYDRA." Grant says clearly. "I worked for Garrett, not HYDRA."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." Christian's fingers release Grant's neck, but not before his fingerprints cause bruises on his throat. He walks back around to the front of Grant. "Now, having a brother like you is bad for my public image. So what should I do about you?"

Christian punches Grant in the gut again. Grant doesn't cry out or ask him to stop: he just takes every punch that his older brother gives him.

Then Christian steps away from Grant and pulls on some gloves. He crosses the room and picks up the long case. Opening it up, he takes out the Asgardian Berserker Staff. Grant pales visibly.

"Wh- what are you doing with that?" He asks, unable to contain the wobble in his voice.

"Someone told me that little Grant has used this thing before." Christian says. "That it made him half crazy with rage."

I narrow my eyes. What is this man planning to do? I'm about to send Simmons for Coulson when Christian forces Grant's hands to close over the staff and we watch as he leans back, smirking at the reaction Grant has to the staff. After a few minutes, Christian takes it away from Grant. The younger man shudders, gasping for breath.

"Now, you're not going to live long, Grant." Christian says calmly. "I'm going to convince this Coulson man to hand you over to me, and then I'm going to publicly execute you. I'll finally get rid of my whiny, coward of a younger brother and boost my chances at the elections at the same time." Christian smiles. "How great is that."

"Great." Grant agrees dully.

"Shut up." Christian snaps, punching Grant in the gut again.

"Sorry." Grant whispers. Christian punches his stomach again.

"I told you to shut up!" Christian's voice is controlled. "Why can't you just shut up, Grant?" His voice becomes less and less controlled by the minute. "All you ever did was cry and complain. Cried when mom locked you in that closet. Cried when I found out how much you hated that small, dark closet." With each sentence, there's another punch You told me you would kill me, yet here I am." Christian spreads his arms. "You burnt a house to get to me, yet I'm still here, you stupid bastard."

Simmons whimpers. I watch the scene silently, considering whether to interrupt when my eyes catch Grant's hands. He's pressing down on his thumb bone harder now, his eyes glassing over as Christian continues to yell abuse at him. I realise in that instant what he's planning to do.

"Get Coulson!" I tell Simmons. "Tell him to get in there now!"

There's a crack as Grant as breaks his own thumb, slipping the handcuffs off one hand easily, leaving one hand attached to the chair. He breaks out of it fast and punches Christian straight in the face.

"Don't touch me, Christian." He growls dangerously. "I don't like it."

Christian recovers fast from his brother's attack, a smirk on his face. He rubs his jaw ruefully.

"Ah, yes. Your touch aversion. Did that get worse?" Christian taunts. "You're weak, Grant Ward. Weak. No wonder you lost that girl they told me about. What was her name? Skye?"

And that's when Grant Ward totally loses it.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Skye<em>**

We run around to the doors, panting.

"Open them!" May orders. Coulson gives her a look.

"May, it's only been 7 minutes-" He starts, but May just shoots the lock. I push past her and we enter the room, not really prepared for what we see.

Grant's gotten hold of the Berserker Staff again and is roaring like a hell beast. He's beating Christian into the ground, yelling incoherent things as he does so. It's a painful sight, to see him beating his brother repeatedly over the head with an Asgardian stick while tears are threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Grant, you're going to kill him!" I yell, running over to him. Grant growls at me.

"I don't care!" Underneath the stick, Christian's face is a mess. "He deserves to die, Skye!"

"Please, Grant!" I plead. I only know that I must stop Grant from killing Christian. He can't be a murderer again. He needs to stop. He needs to prove that he's the man I fell for.

Grant's eyes become unfocused. I slowly put a hand on his, hoping that my touch can snap him out of his head, like it always used to.

"Put the staff down, Grant." I say quietly. Grant stares at me for a long moment before bowing his head and stepping away from his older brother, dropping the stick to the floor with a clutter. Christian breathes heavily, getting to his feet.

"Monster." He spits violently in Grant's direction as he strides out of the room for medical attention.

"Yeah, I am." Grant mutters to himself before looking up and giving me a broken smile. The kind that is creepy because with his broken, sociopathic eyes, smiles are the last thing you do. Then he straightens up, holds his broken hand close to his chest and holds a calm look onto his face.

"When will I be returning to my cell, sir?" Grant asks calmly, like he didn't just try to kill his brother by hitting him repeatedly with a stick. Like he didn't just go through another torment.

But Coulson, May and I could see how shaken he was from that fight, and we decided to keep him out of the cell for a bit.

And that's when I realise that I started calling Grant by his first name again.


	8. Chapter 8: Trust

**Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews so far! They make my day!**

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* * *

><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

"There." I say after bandaging up Grant's hands. He stares at the floor, not saying a word. "I've strapped up your hand, and cleaning them. Now I need to check on the bruising, okay?"

It's been 2 days since Grant went crazy in Christian. 2 days since Coulson allowed him to come upstairs, into a larger room. We couldn't keep him down there after learning of his claustrophobia. Not after we'd let his brother hurt him.

And it had been 2 days since May, Simmons and I had locked ourselves away in his room in protest of Fitz's and the other's wishes that we lock Grant back up.

Grant's physical injuries aren't bad. He'd sprained his wrists from the effort he used in beating up Christian, and he had a broken thumb. He has bruising on his throat and stomach.

But his mental issues are entirely different.

Grant lifts up his shirt to show his stomach, which is covered in bruises. For a senator, the man can't half punch someone. I press on them lightly, and Grant winces. I pull his shirt back down before memories of Grant's chest come back to me. I check his throat, although the bruising isn't serious. We don't think it damaged his speaking, but we can't be sure until he actually talks to us.

"All done." I say brightly. Although the traitor is my ex, one of the people I hate most in this world, I can't bring myself to leave him. Not when he's like this. The same goes for May, who sits in the corner, hands dangling over her knees. She claims that she's here to protect me, but who knows with that woman. She's so mysterious, it's ridiculous. Simmons hovers in the corner nervously. I half expected her to leave, but she's stuck on our side despite her hate of Grant ever since he chucked her out of a plane.

Grant stares at the floor listlessly.

"Grant." I start, waving my hand in front of his face like I've done for the last two days, although this is the first time I've said his first name out loud of my own volution.

"Don't call me that." He says quietly. May looks up. He's talking?

"Don't call you what?" I ask, thinking back to the video clip I have paused and waiting for me to watch. Grant growls slightly. "Grant?"

"That." Grant says. "Call me by my surname. Not- that name."

"Okay, Ward." May says gently. "Can I ask why you don't like that name?"

Simmons and I look at her surprised. May, being caring? This is a side to her we've never seen before.

"When am I going back to my cell?" He asks instead.

"You're not." I say. "You're staying with us." My hand goes to stroke his hair, but he moves away from it easily. He falls silent again.

The door knocks, and Hunter's voice comes through.

"Skye, love? Come on out." He wheedles.

"You going to allow Ward to stay up here?" I call out, crossing my arms across my chest. There's silence on the other side of the door, and then we hear Hunter walk away. I pull up my laptop and email Coulson our terms. AC sides with no one, but he doesn't want to cause a team drift. Grant looks at the USB sticking out of my laptop. May also notices it. But Simmons is the one to comment on it.

"What's that, Skye?" Simmons asks, pointing at the USB.

"It's mine." Grant says quietly, staring at the floor again. "I told Skye to watch it if I ever did something really, really stupid." A ghost of a smile plays on his lips. "And I guess being a HYDRA spy comes under that."

"What's on it?" May wants to know. I shrug, not wanting to spill the beans just yet.

"Something only I should see." I tell her. May doesn't look satisfied, but doesn't question it further.

"It was meant to float." Grant says suddenly. We girls glance at him. He looks at Simmons. "It was meant to float, you know. I read the specs and everything. We weren't flying that high, so I figured you'd live. And I thought it be better than you getting a bullet in the head."

"I know." Simmons says gently. "Yes, I hate you for what you did to Fitz's mind, but I know that those pods are meant to float, Ward." Grant nods shortly before dropping his gaze again. It falls silent again except for my tapping until Grant speaks again.

"I don't know much on HYDRA." He tells us. "Odd bits and pieces. Being a sleeper agent, Garrett never trusted me with much." The smile tugs on his lips again. "He never trusted me at all really."

_**3 months into their relationship.**_

_**Skye**_

"I don't trust people, Skye." Grant says to me, desperation in his eyes. It's the night after the Berserker Staff incident, and we're in his hotel room.

"I'm just asking you to tell me what the memory was, Grant!" I almost yell. "I'm your girlfriend. You can trust me." My voice grows quieter. Grant looks at me uncertainly.

"I can?"

"Of course!" I exclaim exasperatedly. "What do you think a relationship means? It's about trust."

Grant sits down on the bed. I sit next to him as he starts to tell me about the well.


	9. Chapter 9: Asset

**Hello, guys! This will probably be the last update until after Christmas on this story, but I will be posting a Christmas themed post in my one shot collection _Saving_ on Christmas eve, so if you want, check that out!**

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* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

"May, please!" Coulson begs. I stand on the other side of Grant's door, protecting the ones within. The other 'side' are discussing our terms with me. I lean my back against the closed door, bending one knee.

"Our terms are that Ward gets to stay up here." I say coolly, crossing my arms. "Because you did not see what you sent him into, Coulson."

"Which you shouldn't of been watching." Hunter mutters, folding his arms over his chest.

"Excuse me, Hunter." My voice drips with contempt for the ex mercenary. "I'm not the one who shot two of his team mates in the back."

"Which you already shot me for, love!" Hunter rolls his eyes. "When will you get over that?"

"When you stop calling me love." I hiss back, my fingers twitching to strangle the life out of him. Instead on indulging the want - no, _need_ - to kill that smarmy ex merc, I grit my teeth and clench my fists.

"May, I don't want the team to be divided." Coulson says tiredly. "Can we not just agree on something?"

"Phil, trust me." I look my oldest friend deep in the eyes. "Ward can be an asset. Let him stay up here, recover a bit, and then I'll turn him into a specialist we can actually use."

"We can't trust him, May!" Coulson points out.

"I never said trust. I said use." I correct. "Give me 3 months. After that, if I've failed, take him back to his cell. Kill him if you want, even hand him to Christian if you want. But give me a chance." I urge.

"He's a mur-murderer!" Fitz manages to exclaim. "He tried to...to..."

"Kill you." Mack supplies. Fitz nods, clicking his fingers at Mack.

"And Simmons, but it looks like she converted to the dark side." Fitz mumbles, but no one seems to hear him.

"Yeah!" Hunter agrees. "The scientist dude is right. He's a HYDRA spy and murderer!"

"I thought you didn't believe in second chances, Melinda." Coulson says quietly, ignoring Fitz's and Hunter's outbursts.

"This isn't a second chance, Phil." I reflect his quiet tone in my voice. "It's his first."

* * *

><p>I slip back in the room some minutes later. Simmons looks at me from her position in the corner, her arms wrapped around her legs, her fingers linked nervously. She's probably missing Fitz, but if she misses him that much, she should join him instead of sticking with us. But I've got to respect the girl: sitting in the same room as your would be murderer? That takes some guts.<p>

"What's the verdict?" Simmons asks. Skye also looks interested from her seat next to Ward. Ward stares at the floor silently, motionlessly, as if he's a statue.

"Coulson's gave us 3 months." I say, leaning against the door, wiping my hands on my thighs.

"To do what?" Skye questions, frowning in confusion. I look at my trainee, who is so still into her ex it's actually painful to see, because there's no way either of them will be able to move on and start again when they are still into each other. And they aren't going to forgive each other any time soon.

"To turn Ward into an asset." I say grimly. "Can you do that?" I direct the last half of my sentence towards Ward, the man in question here.

Ward glances up, a half smile playing on his lips.

"I'm good at being an asset." He shrugs. "It's one of my few useful skills, like following orders."

"Good." I say. "Because otherwise, you're going back to that cell."

"But May, isn't that just turning Ward back into what Garrett created?" Skye argues defensively, her brown eyes fiery. So like mine at her age, before Bahrain, that is. "That's wrong!"

"I don't mind." Ward offers up quietly. I shoot him a look and he falls silent again.

"No, Skye." I assure her. "Because this time, I'll be the one training him. And I, unlike Garrett, am not a raging psychopath."

"Are we sure?" Skye mutters, a smile on her face. I frown at her, but underneath I'm laughing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

"Are you really okay with being turned into an asset?" I ask Grant once the others are asleep. Jemma is curled up on the bed, May opted for the pile of pillows on the floor (although I'm suspicious if she's actually asleep), and Grant and I are sitting on the floor, with our backs up against the door.

"Don't you have any problem with it?" I continues when Grant remains silent. I wait patiently for him to answer.

"I've always been used." Grant says finally, in an accepting tone. "You watched that video on that USB, right?" I nod softly. "So you know that first, I was used by Christian. Then Garrett. And now Coulson." He shrugs. "It's normal for me."

"It shouldn't be though." I whisper, my voice a whisper on the breeze. "You should be able to live how you want to, not how others tell you to."

"I'm not even too sure if I know how to live with out orders." Grant admits. "I followed his orders for 15 years. That's a long time."

"You're a lot more revealing now than you ever were in our relationship." I nudge his shoulder gently, but he still involuntarily flinches away from me. "It's nice." I add.

"I was alone in that box for a long time." Grant shrugs again. "It gave me some time to think."

"Yeah, why I remember." I glance at him, realising that this is the most he's spoken since the whole Christian incident. "You're claustrophobic? How come I've never noticed it before? We've been on tons of missions involving small spaces."

"I'm a - I _was_ a specialist." Grant corrects. "I can handle my phobias, but that box was cutting it a little close. And since I had noting to distract me, it was a little too present on my mind."

"Sorry." The apology spills unexpectedly from between my lips, but he's already shaking his head.

"Don't be." He mutters. "I'm used to it now."

"Because of your mom?" I have to ask. Even though we dated for 8 months, the most I ever found out about his mom was that she gave birth to Grant. I don't even know her name.

"Yeah." He nods, swallowing.

"Why did she do that?" My mouth asks him next. I have to know why a woman who claimed to be the guy's mom would lock her son up in a small, dark closet.

"She was probably drunk." Grant shrugs, staring off into the dark. "Valerie was very fond of a few glasses of wine - every hour."

"Oh." I say quietly. "One of my foster mom's got drunk a lot. Clearly, that placement ended quickly. But she was pretty scary drunk."

"They always are." Grant agrees. There's a pause in the conversation for a moment as I'm reminded of the old times, where we used to sit and talk for hours, just relaxing in each others company.

"I am sorry, you know." Grant says abruptly. "About lying to you. I thought about telling you a hundred or so times, but the timing never seemed right, and by then, it was too late."

"'Out of the shadows and into the light.'" I quote HYDRA's catchphrase, captioning why it was too late.

"Exactly." He nods. "Out of the shadows and into the light."

* * *

><p><strong>Review, maybe?<strong>


	10. Chapter 10: Month One: The Punch Bag

**Howdy, people! This will be the last update on this story of 2014! When chapter 11 gets published, it'll be 2015! **

**Thank you lots for all the super reviews, follows and favourites I've had so far on this story. **

**Oh, and I'll be publishing a New Year's Eve fan fic in my one shot collection, Saving, as chapter 11 on that, so if you want a little New Year celebration, check that out when it's published on New Year's Eve!**

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><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

_**Month One**_

"Have you been keeping up with your training?" I ask Ward as we sit in his room, our current base of operations. Skye and Simmons are out clearing the gym for us, leaving us alone so I can have a private conversation with Ward. Some may feel like it's weird that I'm going to become Ward's temporary SO, but personally, I think I'm a much better choice than the last SO he had. And although I don't believe in second chances, I do think that everyone deserves a good start in life: which obviously Ward didn't get. He deserves to pay for what he's done, but my idea of his punishment is to make him serve S.H.I.E.L.D for a decade doing only good deeds to make up for the decade he spent carrying out Garrett's orders.

"Yeah, I've been in a cell for months, and somehow I was able to train." He says sarcastically. I ignore his tone.

"Ward." I warn. "Three months is not long to convince Coulson to keep you here."

"Do you think I don't know that?" He snaps. "I know that three months is a ridiculously short space of time. Six months would be better, but even that wouldn't be enough."

"How did Garrett turn you into an asset?" I ask him. The reaction in Ward is immediate: his spine stiffens, his jaw clenches and his hands curl into fists. His reaction makes me realise exactly why Skye asked me to do this,to get information out of him on Garrett's methods. Unlike her, I'm not going to let any personal feelings get in the way of our need for information. I can easily put them aside for the mission at hand: turning Ward into a S.H.I.E.L.D asset.

"You got a patch of woodland you can leave me in?" Ward laughs dryly. "'Cause if you do, you have your answer."

I glance at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow as I wait for him to elaborate. I don't want to force him into answering, so I simply wait. I'm a patient woman, and he knows that I'll wait all day for an answer if I have to.

"Why are you helping me, May?" He asks instead of replying. I let it slide past me, logging it as a matter to discuss another day.

"I guess...it's because you haven't been given many chances in life." I start slowly, my words feeling awkward in my mouth. I've never been good with explaining why I do something, why I feel a certain way. It's been an annoyance for me ever since I was a small child. "And I don't want to see another person suffer because I didn't do anything to stop it. Plus, I saw what an affect your brother had on you." I add. Ward visibly stiffens at the mention of his brother. A normal person might feel pity for him, but I know that Ward wouldn't want my pity. He'd take it as an insult.

"You'd think I'd be able to take him, since I'm a specialist." Ward says softly, his eyes fixed on the floor. "But as soon as I saw him again, I felt like that scared kid all over again."

"Why does Christian scare you, Ward?" I ask him. Ward opens his mouth as if to answer, but Skye chooses that moment to walk in.

"Training room's ready." She announces.

"Let's go." Ward says, getting to his feet, dodging the question, so yet again I log it for later questioning.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

I watch May and Grant train. The oriental woman is assessing how much of his muscle he's retained in his time in the cell, and Grant's just enjoying being back with the punch bag again, I think.

The scene reminds me of another, which took place after the whole Lorelei incident...which took place incidentally 1 month into our relationship.

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>1 month, 4 days into their relationship.<strong>_

"Grant." I touch his arm. He shrugs me off easily, ignoring me as his fists pound relentlessly into the battered red bag. "Grant, look at me." My voice is commanding, authoritative. It's been 2 days since that...woman stole him away from me, and he still won't talk about it with me. I mean, I know the basis of what happened, but I need to hear it from his lips.

"Skye, please." He whispers, his voice strained from the effort of keeping his tone even. "I kind of just want to be alone."

"Well, I've let you be alone. All of us have, for 2 days, Grant!" I snap suddenly, my hands on my hips. "And don't think I haven't noticed that the only time you come out of that room of yours is to shower and work out. You're not eating, and I bet you're not sleeping as well. Grant, I just want you to talk about what happened with Lorelei-"

As soon as her name slips past my lips, Grant slams his fist into the bag hard, and keeps facing the bag. I bite my lip nervously. Grant's unpredictable considering Asgardian magic, shown by both the Berserker Stick and that bitch seducer, and I don't exactly want to get punched, like May did yesterday when she went to talk to him. The shiny bruise around her eye is not something I'd want, thank you!

He takes a deep breath, his back shuddering slightly.

"Skye, I _cheated_ on you." He says in a low whisper that screams of self loathing. I blink. This is what he's upset about? I place a hand on his shoulder, and he lets me keep it there. I can feel him shivering under my touch, and I realise just how badly Lorelei's actions have affected him.

"Grant, you didn't _choose_ to-" I try, but he cuts me off mid sentence.

"But I still did it, Skye." He says despairingly. "I slept with _another woman_ while I'm dating _you_." He rests his forehead against the material of the bag. "And I kind of enjoyed it." This last sentence is half whispered, barely audible, and he says it as if he's horrified by the very words.

"Well, I don't blame you." I start, my voice clear and confident, showing no traces of the inner turmoil I'm actually feeling. Not because of him sleeping with Lorelei, but because of how he's viewing it in his mind. Does it annoy me that she used him for sex? Hell yeah. Am I upset that he slept with her? Not so much, because he didn't have a choice. No, my anger is directed fully at that Asgardian bitch.

"What?" Grant looks up at that, turning around to face me, as was my desired response.

"I don't blame you for enjoying it. Sex is sex, right? And Lorelei was probably very, _very_ good at it." I shrug, continuing. "Heck, if I was a guy and she seduced me, I'd probably enjoy it too."

"I still slept with another woman while I'm with you." Grant points out, unable to let go of his self hatred for his actions.

"Did you do it on purpose?" I ask him. Grant hesitates and then shakes his head slowly.

"Did you have a choice?" I ask next, raising one eyebrow. The pause this time round it longer, but eventually he shakes his head 'no' again.

"Did you want to cheat on me?" Is my final question. Grant shakes his head quickly.

"I'd never want to cheat on you, Skye." He says sincerely. I let a smile tug at my lips.

"See? It wasn't your fault, and I know you'd never actually do it." I pause. "'Cause then May would chuck you out of this plane at the highest altitude - _without_ a parachute."

"And make it look like it's an accident, yeah." A ghost of a smile twitches on his mouth. I link arms with him, not minding that he's all sweaty. "Now, let's get you showered, then fed, and them we'll go to sleep, okay?"

"Only if you shower with me." He bargains. I raise both my eyebrows in mock shock.

"Grant Douglas Ward, you should know I'm a proper southern girl, and you'll make me untidy." I say in my best southern accent - which is not good at all.

He waggles his eyebrows back at me suggestively. I laugh.

"Come on, then, before Coulson wonders where both of us are."

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><p>I'm jerked out of my thoughts by Jemma.<p>

"Hey, Skye?" She asks nervously. I look at her, seeing that Jemma's seated next to me in the corner.

"Yeah, Jemma?" I gesture for her to continue. Jemma gnaws on her bottom lip.

"Do you think Fitz will forgive me?" She asks uncertainly. I tilt my head too one side, considering my answer. On one hand, Jemma's hanging out with the man he hates most in the world. But then again, Fitz and Jemma are best friends: they're Fitzsimmons!

"I think that, in time, he'll come to understand why you did what you did." I reply carefully, my gaze drifting back to Grant, who's now doing push ups with May. "Because if you value each other as much as you think you do, _anything_ is redeemable."

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><p><strong>Review, please? <strong>

**(Oh, and a special thanks to _KissMyQuiver_ for her lovely reviews!)**


	11. Chapter 11: Mulan

**So sorry about the length of this chapter! Still, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Please leave a review!**

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><p><em><strong>Skye<strong>_

I walk past Fitz in the corridor as I bring the latest lot of DVD's I want to watch from my room. All of us girls technically can go back to our old bunks, and to sleep we do (if we remember), but before we go to sleep we keep hanging out in Ward's room. My DVD's tumble from my hands and they crash to the floor. Instinctively, Fitz leans down to help me as I crouch down to pick them up.

"I can't believe you, Skye." He mutters under his breath, but it's loud enough for me to hear. "Siding with Ward, even after all he's done? To you? For god's sake, he told you he loved you and then he betrayed you!" Fitz bursts out. I take a deep breath, piling all the DVD's up on top of each other.

"I know he betrayed me, Fitz. He completely destroyed my heart and my trust." I say finally, my chocolate brown eyes meeting his blue ones. "I loved the guy."

"So why are you helping him?" Fitz urges me to answer, his eyes confused to my motives since my words suggest that I should side with him.

"Because he deserves a second chance." I say simply. "Fitz, Ward was just following orders. The wrong orders, sure, but you follow orders all the time. Only difference with Ward is that he played for the wrong team, whereas S.H.I.E.L.D is seen as the right team. Think about that." As then I scoop the DVD's up in my arms and march away, my heart beating fast in my chest.

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><p>May chooses Mulan.<p>

It's her turn to choose the movie, and I'm expecting some kind of action movie. Not one from my freaking Disney movie collection! I nudge Grant with my shoulder - he flinches away instinctively. I try to ignore how much it hurts that he flinches away from me, of all people.

"Mulan, huh?" I whisper to him as May puts the disc in.

"May reminds me of Mulan." Grant replies in a quiet voice. "They're both strong, independant women."

"I like Mulan. Can we get over it already?" May snaps. "Now shut up. The movie's starting!"

As we quieten down to watch the movie, I realise that we've already used 2 weeks of our 3 months up. What if Coulson doesn't think Grant's enough of a an asset? What if he kills Grant? The questions spiral around my mind. Everything I said to Fitz is true, about Grant breaking my heart, but love doesn't just go away like that.

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><p><span><em><strong>3 months into their relationship<strong>_.

"Being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent gets you a lot of scars, doesn't it?" I ask him as I absentmindedly trace patterns across his bare chest. Grant watches me, his arms wrapped around me protectively.

"It's a dangerous job." He shrugs. "You're going to get scars, Skye."

I pout.

"I really hate scars..." I mutter, staring a few of his. "And now, when I become a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, they're going to mar my body."

"You'll always be beautiful to me." Grant tells me. My fingertips brush over a scar located on the side of his neck, near his right ear. He moves away from my touch unconsciously before relaxing back into my hand.

"Where did you get this one?" I ask him. The scar feels like any other, but somehow I think it's different. More important.

"I don't remember." Grant says calmly. But even then I know that he's lying to me.

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><p>In the dark of the room, the light from Mulan is the only source of light in the room. The bright lights flash across Grant's neck, and I see that scar again. It's a few millimetres in length, and it's only faintly raised. I frown again, remembering that Grant never elaborated on it. In fact, he dodged the question like it was a live grenade when ever it came up.<p>

"Grant?" I poke him gently. He glances at me.

"What?" He asks me, keeping his voice low. Obviously, he doesn't want to anger May by interrupting her favourite film.

"What's that scar?" I ask, pointing at it. Grant's hand instinctively goes to the scar.

"Oh, this?" He asks edgily.

"Grant..." I say in a warning voice. He sighs.

"It's where I had my tracker implanted." He says finally.

I stare in shock.

"You have a tracker!?"

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><p><strong>Fun Fact: Ming-Na Wen, who plays May, actually voiced Fa Mulan in the Disney film!<strong>


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